


Better with Both

by MzRogueRaz (EggplantRed)



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Earthborn (Mass Effect), Established Relationship, F/M, Feelings, Feels, Goodbyes, Mass Effect 3, Renegade Commander Shepard, Renegon (Mass Effect), Sole Survivor (Mass Effect), Two Shepards, Two Shepards AU, Vanguard (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-23 22:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4894546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggplantRed/pseuds/MzRogueRaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The battle for the galaxy was looming and returning from Earth wasn't guaranteed.<br/>After talking with her fellow commander, Ryal decided to try leaving Garrus a video to remember her by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better with Both

**Author's Note:**

> Set in an AU where there are two Commander Shepards and Thane Krios lives, cured of his Keprals.

"Garrus, I know we've... No. Garrus, I remember when we first met on the Citadel. Okay, the first time we went to battle."

She stopped the camera and leaned back in her seat. This shouldn't be so hard to do. It wasn't hard to do actually. It was just she wasn't sure what to say. They both knew every mission could be the last, that was always a given.

This time was different though. The finality of the galaxy depending on her and Aeryn's upcoming actions made leaving something behind for him seem even more important. If they failed, it wouldn't matter much anyway. She didn't consider failure to be an option though. The galaxy would be saved. Her surviving the war was something else entirely. She wanted to leave him something. Something to supplement the memories. Yet every attempt to create something was coming out worse than the previous.

"Garrus Vakarian, I love you. And....this is shit, seriously."

Ryal grabbed the Geth Fighter model off her desk and just as she tossed it across the cabin, she heard the door open right when the model smashed into pieces and fell to the floor.

"I'm sure it had it coming. Do I need to snipe it too? Might be overkill though." He walked over to her and kissed the top of her head.

She laughed as she stood and threw her arms around his waist and kissed him.

"You've been going on missions with me for years now. I charge headfirst into enemies and put a shotgun to their face. I don't know the definition of overkill. Not even in my vocabulary." They both laughed.

While she walked over to clean up the shattered model, he looked over the terminal at the vid she was creating. Her voice started playing back and she jerked upright, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Don't look at that yet!"

He threw up his talons and walked over to sit on the couch. "What exactly was I not supposed to be looking at?"

Ryal sat the debris on the desk and leaned back against the aquarium across the room from him.

"I was making a vid for you." She huffed, "This is all Aeryn's fault. Making me feel super emotional while we discussed the little bit of plan we've devised. If I didn't love her so much, I swear..."

"Ryal, as you humans say, no offense but I'd rather have vid of us. We've been in this together and it seems more appropriate this way."

She briefly considered his proposal. "Together huh?"

Pushing off the aquarium, she grabbed the datapad from the corner of the desk and joined him on the couch. Resting her bare legs across his lap, Ryal turned on the recorder. With a sly grin on her face and the camera trained on him, "So Mr. Vakarian, what should we record together?"

Garrus grabbed her foot and began massaging it.

"Well, I'm no good at being famous but I'll try. When Ryal Shepard walked into my life, she was walking over the Council on her way to dispense justice on Saren without their support. Little did I know that was the path to a wonderful partnership. Mostly dangerous but still wonderful." He glanced her way and smiled.

Wiggling her foot out of his firm grip, she curled up beside him and switched to the front camera. Garrus leaned over slightly so they were centered on the screen. On video, his blue eyes were almost the color of the Pacific Ocean she remembered from childhood.

"I recall walking up on a jaded C-Sec officer in the middle of a standoff with two idiots who thought intimidating a doctor around the corner from the C-Sec Academy was a good idea."

"Hey, I had those guys right where I wanted them until you came barging in."

She laughed, "You were toying with them like a varren playing with its meal. Luckily my shotgun was there to assist you."

She stood and pulled him over to the bed so they could stretch out and continue talking. Noveria, Virmire, Omega, the Collector ship, Palaven, and Tuchanka. There were so many memories the two of them had together. So many gunfights, near misses, close calls, and tough decisions. They could have filled multiple datapads and it wouldn't have been enough to account their many adventures together.

Looking at the image of them on screen, smiling and happy like there isn't a machine race currently waging war on all organic life, Ryal decided she would make sure he knew. She would not touch down on Earth without leaving him with a heartfelt expression.

She sat the still recording device on the ledge of the headboard and rolled over to look at him.

"Garrus," as she laid her hand on his chest.

His eyes looked her over like he was taking a scan, committing her to memory, to picture, to heart.

"Growing up on Earth was not easy. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of to survive. Despite the hardships, I wouldn't trade them for anything. Without them, I wouldn't have joined the Alliance. I wouldn't have come into space. I wouldn't have run into the Turian laying next to me. Wouldn't have one of the best snipers watching out for me in battle." She moved her hand up to rest softly on his mandible. He leaned into her touch and a deep, low noise rose from his throat and reverberated through his mandible. The vibrations were gentle and comforting as she smiled and looked at him with loving reverence.

"I wouldn't have found the man who I respect and admire more than anyone I know."

If he'd had eyebrows they would have been raised from the tone in his voice. "Is that so? What would your co-commander say if she heard that statement?"

Ryal playfully pushed him and laughed. His talon grazed the bottom of her shorts as he grabbed her upper thigh and pulled her close. Vibrating his lips against her neck, her leg naturally wrapped around him and she almost lost her train of thought. She leaned back slightly, "Smooth moves Archangel but I really need to finish this." His mandibles flitted slightly in agreeance as Garrus paused so she could finish.

"I plan on giving the Reapers hell when we get to Earth." She choked up slightly, the emotion catching in her throat. With a hard swallow to push them back, "But if shit goes down, just know I love you and I couldn't have found a better partner to spend what time I had and may have left with."

Garrus held the back of her neck and rested his forehead against hers. "Shepard. You aren't going anywhere. We're going to shut those bastards down and celebrate at the bar afterwards. Hopefully, they don't mind a little blood on the floor and keep Turian brandy stocked."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He pulled her close and hugged her.

"You're damn right we are, Vakarian." She kissed him softly for what seemed liked minutes before the datapad beeped that the video had stopped. They finally released each other and she grabbed the device and lobbed it onto the couch.

"Before Aeryn got to me, this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I considered leaving you a vid."

Garrus swung over and sat up on the edge of the bed. "If you're referring to what was on the terminal then trust me Shepard my idea was much better."

Ryal sat up and removed her tank top, tossing it on his head.

He removed the shirt and turned back to find black lace greeting him. Without hesitation, "Yes well I'm sure we can find some time for this too."


End file.
